Commission highlights China cyber attacks

A commission tasked with documenting U.S.-Chinese security and economic issues found in its annual report to Congress increasing concern over China’s cyber attacks against government and commercial targets.

In its report released Wednesday, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission documented two cases where U.S. satellites were interfered with and China was the suspected culprit. The satellite hacking was first reported by Bloomberg News in a draft report last month.

The satellite interference was one of a number of cyber issues the commission explored.

It also found the Chinese government appeared to sponsor numerous computer network intrusions in 2011 and that the country’s military strategy is focused on disrupting an adversary’s computer network.

This year’s report was the 10th for the commission, which was established by Congress in 2001. Chairman William Reinsch highlighted some of the 43 recommendations the commission to Congress and the Obama administration in a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday. The recommendations included a range of topics from the U.S.-China trade deficit to arms sales in Taiwan to asking for a GAO report on U.S. companies in the Chinese market.

The commission noted that China has also achieved several military firsts in the past year, including testing a stealth bomber and aircraft carrier and progress toward the first anti-ship ballistic missile.

The commission also highlighted a growing concern with China ignoring intellectual property crime and stepping back from a promise to lower trade barriers.